Counsel Advisory
Counsel Advisory is a Sydney-based independent commercial real estate advisory firm exclusively representing tenants. Founded in 2017 by Emil Joubert, it provides strategic advisory, tenant representation, and lease negotiation services to large enterprises across Australia.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersSydney, Australia
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Counsel Advisory does
Counsel Advisory is a Sydney-based independent commercial real estate advisory firm that exclusively represents tenants in lease negotiations and strategic real estate decisions. Founded in 2017 by Emil Joubert (formerly National Head of Leasing at Charter Hall for 16 years and Pacific Head of Occupier Advisory & Transaction Services at CBRE), the firm is structured as CounselIP Pty Limited and operates from Sydney's CBD at Martin Place, with stated experience across Australia, New Zealand, Asia and Africa. The firm positions itself as a structural answer to the conflicts of interest endemic to larger real estate firms that represent both landlords and tenants, and it explicitly does not accept trailing fees from recommended consultants.
The service portfolio is centred on independent tenant representation, transaction management, and strategic planning, complemented by workplace strategy, financial comparison and stay-versus-go analysis, mark-to-market benchmarking, make good negotiation, building commentary, market research, and coordination of project teams. The technology stack is modest: a proprietary database of landlords and leasing agents active in Sydney CBD and broader Australian commercial real estate markets, plus a suite of financial comparison tools used to support rapid negotiation leverage. Delivery is handled by a small core team (1–10 employees) that partners with external specialists on a project basis, allowing the firm to scale complex assignments without growing internal headcount.
Counsel Advisory operates a professional services, fee-based revenue model with project-based engagements. The firm charges for strategic advisory and transaction management, with disclosed case studies showing its fee represented less than 2% of the value created for clients (e.g., $10.1M of documented savings for Mills Oakley, $7.7M+ for Yancoal Australia, $12M+ for KPMG, 15.4% improvement on a $300M+ lease renegotiation for King & Wood Mallesons). The go-to-market is enterprise field sales, with C-suite and executive-level engagement (COO, CFO, Executive General Manager) typically triggered by lease expiry, M&A events, or strategic planning cycles, complemented by case-study-driven content marketing and the founder's professional network.
Counsel Advisory firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Counsel Advisory
- Legal name
- CounselIP Pty Limited
- Website
- https://counseladvisory.com.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Counsel Advisory is a Sydney-based independent commercial real estate advisory firm exclusively representing tenants. Founded in 2017 by Emil Joubert, it provides strategic advisory, tenant representation, and lease negotiation services to large enterprises across Australia.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Counsel Advisory industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial Real Estate Advisory
- NAICS
- Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (53121), Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (5312), Management Consulting Services (54161)
- SIC
- Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Tenant Representation & Corporate Services Brokerage (BPAJABAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Real Estate Tenant Representation (FSAEAJAF), Real Estate Strategy & Portfolio Consulting (Corporate/Institutional) (BPAJANAB), Real Estate Market Research & Economic Advisory (Demand/Supply, Location Analytics) (BPAJANAD)
Keywords
Where Counsel Advisory is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sydney
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Counsel Advisory business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Strategic Advisory and Tenant Representation Fees: Fee-based professional services model where Counsel charges for strategic advisory, transaction management, and tenant representation services. Engagements are project-based, typically tied to specific lease transactions or strategic planning exercises. The firm explicitly states its fee represents less than 2% of the value created for clients (as noted in the Mills Oakley case study), indicating a value-based or success-fee component.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Counsel Advisory product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Counsel Advisory provides independent, unconflicted strategy and advisory services exclusively for tenants in commercial real estate transactions. The firm specialises in tenant representation, lease negotiation, strategic planning, workplace strategy, financial comparison and stay vs go analysis, mark to market analysis, make good negotiation, building benchmarking, market research, and project team coordination. Engagements are project-based and tailored, serving clients from very small to very large organisations across industries including financial services, legal, resources, banking, media, healthcare and government.
Product overview
Counsel Advisory offers a single integrated advisory service rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The company provides independent strategy and advisory services exclusively for tenants (not landlords) in commercial real estate. All services are delivered by a core team that collaborates with industry specialists on a project-by-project basis. The portfolio consists of professional advisory services including tenant representation and lease negotiation, workplace strategy, financial analysis (stay vs go), strategic planning, market research, mark to market analysis, building benchmarking, and project team coordination. These services are designed to be conflict-free and tailored to each client's specific requirements.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Advisory, Strategy and Planning
- Transaction Management
- Tenant Representation & Lease Negotiation
- Workplace Strategy
- Financial Comparison & Stay vs Go Analysis
- Strategic Planning
- Mark to Market Analysis
- Make Good Negotiation
- Building Commentary & Benchmarking
- Market Research
- Project Teams
Quantifiable outcome
- 15.4% better outcome (King & Wood Mallesons) compared to exercising lease option with effective market review
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use Counsel Advisory
Customer profileNamed customers44 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Counsel Advisory technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Counsel Advisory partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Entertainment QuartercorePreferred relocation destination for Sydney Cricket Ground Trust occupiers. Negotiated agreement to relocate all stadium occupiers to Entertainment Quarter including purpose-built demountable facility and specialised fitouts.
- Hammond StudiocoreRecommended by Counsel as skilled designer for the Yancoal Australia head office relocation project. Hammond Studio developed the project brief and provided design services for the bespoke fitout at Darling Park 2.
- Generate PropertycoreRecommended by Counsel as highly experienced project manager for the Yancoal Australia head office relocation. Managed the tender of the construction contract and delivered the high-quality bespoke fitout on time and on budget.
- Top Industry Consultants NetworkcoreThe firm collaborates with the industry's top consultants on a project-by-project basis including specialists for workplace strategy, project management, design, cost control, change management, town planning and relocation. This ensures advice remains tailored and free from conflict.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Counsel Advisory competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Colliers International: Global real estate advisory with strong Asia-Pacific tenant representation and occupier services practice. Competes with Counsel for ASX-listed and large enterprise occupier mandates across Australian CBD markets, while also offering valuation, investment and capital markets services.
- Knight Frank: International real estate consultancy with global occupier services and tenant representation capabilities, active in Australian commercial markets. Comparable to Counsel in serving large enterprise occupiers on lease negotiations and portfolio strategy.
- Cushman & Wakefield: Global commercial real estate firm offering occupier representation, lease administration, and workplace strategy services to corporate clients in Australia and globally. Overlaps directly with Counsel's tenant-representation focus and competes on enterprise occupier mandates.
- CBRE Group: Global commercial real estate services giant operating dedicated occupier advisory and tenant representation practices across Asia-Pacific. Counsel's founder previously led CBRE's Pacific Occupier Advisory & Transaction Services business, making CBRE the most direct large-scale competitor and a natural benchmark for tenant-rep capability.
- Savills: Global real estate services firm with commercial leasing and tenant advisory operations in Australia. Direct overlap with Counsel's occupier advisory offerings for large corporate clients in Sydney and other Australian CBDs.
- JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle): Global real estate services firm with extensive tenant representation and corporate real estate advisory offerings worldwide. Competes with Counsel on large enterprise occupier mandates in Sydney and broader Australia, but operates at significantly larger scale with bundled workplace, project management and capital markets services.
Emerging players
- Leesman: Workplace experience analytics and advisory firm helping corporates measure and improve office effectiveness. Adjacent to Counsel's workplace strategy offering — both serve enterprise occupiers navigating hybrid work and portfolio strategy decisions in the Australian and global markets.
- Instant Group: Global specialist advisor focused on flexible workspace and occupier real estate strategy, advising enterprises on portfolio optimization and lease alternatives. Overlaps with Counsel's strategic advisory and workplace-strategy-adjacent offerings, particularly as hybrid work drives demand for flexible-space advisory.
Others
- Charter Hall: Major Australian institutional property group and landlord where Counsel's founder spent 16 years as National Head of Leasing. Operates on the opposite (landlord/investor) side of the same Australian commercial real estate market, making it a key counterparty in every Counsel transaction and the source of the founder's expertise.
Direct peers
- Cresa: US-headquartered pure-play tenant representation firm that, like Counsel, exclusively represents occupiers with no landlord-side conflicts of interest. Operates globally with offices in Asia-Pacific; the closest structural analog to Counsel's independent, tenant-only business model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Counsel Advisory social profiles
Digital presenceCounsel Advisory financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Counsel Advisory leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Counsel Advisory funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Counsel Advisory M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Counsel Advisory
What does Counsel Advisory do?
Counsel Advisory provides independent, unconflicted strategy and advisory services exclusively for tenants in commercial real estate transactions. The firm specialises in tenant representation, lease negotiation, strategic planning, workplace strategy, financial comparison and stay vs go analysis, mark to market analysis, make good negotiation, building benchmarking, market research, and project team coordination. Engagements are project-based and tailored, serving clients from very small to very large organisations across industries including financial services, legal, resources, banking, media, healthcare and government.
Is Counsel Advisory a public or private company?
Counsel Advisory is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Counsel Advisory founded?
Counsel Advisory was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Counsel Advisory based?
Counsel Advisory is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Counsel Advisory make money?
One revenue line is on record: strategic Advisory and Tenant Representation Fees.
Who are Counsel Advisory's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Colliers International, Knight Frank, Cushman & Wakefield, CBRE Group, Savills and JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle). Emerging players are Leesman and Instant Group. Charter Hall is listed as an others. Cresa is listed as a direct peer.
Does Counsel Advisory have an API?
No public API is recorded for Counsel Advisory.
What industry is Counsel Advisory in?
Counsel Advisory's product category is Commercial Real Estate Advisory. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAJABAJ, Tenant Representation & Corporate Services Brokerage, with a secondary code of FSAEAJAF, Real Estate Tenant Representation. Its NAICS code is 53121 and its SIC code is 6531.